Heat exchange apparatus



J1me 1940. c. T.- BAPPLER ,0 5

HEAT EXCHANGE APPARATUS Filed Aug. 19', 1936 //v l/E/ TOP MMA/M ,47" fPA/EV ner.

Patented June 4, 1940 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HEAT EXCHANGE APPARATUS- Charles T. Bappler, Hartford. Conn., assignor to The Bush Manufacturing Company, Hartford, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application August 19, 1936, Serial No. 96,758

1 Claim.

My invention relates to that class of apparatus which is employed for changing temperatures of fluids for various purposes, such as reducing the temperatures of air in compartments, chambers, or in conduits, or for raising such temperatures, and an object of my invention, among others, is the production of an apparatus of this sort that shall be simple in construction and particularly eflicient in operation.

One form of an apparatus embodying my invention and in the construction and use of which the objects herein set out, as well as others, may be attained, is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1'is an end view of an evaporator embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a side view of'the same with parts broken out to reduce the size.

Figure 3 is a top view broken out in like man- Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating my improved apparatus in operation.

Figure 5 is a detail view illustrating the construction where the conducting tubes are connected to the coils.

liquid shall be supplied to the "coils in such quantit1es as may be readily disposed of by such.

coils, that is, that the quantity of liquid so supplied shall be suflicient for the capacity of the coils but shall not be excessive, and to this end the tubes for supplying the liquid to the coils should be of a capacity to effect the purpose just mentioned. My improved apparatus now to be described. enables these results to be obtained in a particularly simple and 'cfiicient manner.

My improved device is employed in connection with an apparatus of well-known construction and which. briefly stated, includes a compressor for delivering the-fluid to a condenser 6 which in turn communicates with a tank 1 into which the liquid created by the action of the compressor and condenser is delivered from the condenser. From the tank the fluid compressed into a liquid is conveyed by a pipe 8 to an expansion valve 9 having an outlet ill from which fluid is delivered in a substantially unexpanded state, all of these parts being of well-known construction and operation, the expansion 'valve having the usual thermostatic control ll connected therewith.

My improvement resides in the means for introducing the liquid from said outlet Hi to coils 10 I2 of an evaporator which evaporator comprises such coils and radiating fins I3 which may also be of ordinary construction.

As hereinbefore stated it is my purpose to evenly distribute the fluid in the form of a liquid from the valve 9, or outlet ltlthereof, to the coils so that there shall be an even expansion in the evaporator. To effect this purpose I provide a fixture comprising a nipple M which is screw threadedly engaged with the outlet ID of the expansion valve, this outlet being capable of turning movement relatively to said valve. The tubes of a set l5 of tubes are closely nested with the mouths l6 of the tubes closely associated with the outlet so that the fluid from u the expansion valve is delivered in liquid form into the mouths of such tubes with substantially no chance to expand. The tubes are all practically of the same size and of the same length so that when the liquid fluid from the nipple I4 rea'ches'the coils of the evaporator it is in substantially the same state relative to quantity and expansion in each of the tubes. The mouths of the tubes are all located in the same horizontal plane and they are all in the same relative locations relative to the outlet from the valve.

. A result is that the liquid fluid from the valve is evenly distributed to the coils of the evaporator and an even expansion of the liquid takes 40 place in such evaporator with a result that the -maximum degree of emciency is obtained in the use of the apparatus.

As hereinbefore mentioned a material and important 'feature of the invention consists in having the size of the opening through each tube bear a certain relation to its length so that the liquid fluidmay be supplied to the coils of the evaporator in just suflicient quantities to be disposed of by such coils. l5 while being of the same length should all have the same relationship as between their lengths and the sizes of the openings therein.

In cases where necessity may compel the use of tubes having openings therein of certain di- 55 All of the tubes ameters but of greater lengths than may be required to effectively supply the coils, the re-' sults hereinbefore referred to may be effected by the insertion of each tube IS, a d as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawing, wherein said tubes ii are each provided with a metering tube I! in either end but preferably in that end connected with the coils l2. As shown herein each tube i5 is secured in a nipple l8 tightly fastened vin the end of a coil [2 and the metering tube l! is inserted in the end of the tube I5 and projects into the coil l2. a

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes I have described the principles of operation of my invention, together with the device which I now consider to represent the best metering tubes in the mouth embodiment thereof; but I desire to have it understood that the device shown is only illustrative and that the inventionmay be carried out by other means and applied to uses other than those above set out. f

I claim:

In a heat exchange apparatus including an expansion valve of the type herein shown and in which a minimum amount of expansion of the refrigerant occurs the combination with said valve of a nipple, a set of tubes extending into and attached to said nipple and opening thereoutof, means for attachment bf said nipple to the outlet of said expansion valve, and a metering tube located in an end of each of said 16 tubes.

CHARLES T.v BAPPLER. 

